


Happy Accidents

by TimeSorceror



Series: Nesting [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alpha Fenris (Dragon Age), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Cuteness overload, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Knotting Mention, M/M, Nesting, Omega Anders (Dragon Age), Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 19:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10446138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeSorceror/pseuds/TimeSorceror
Summary: Four years had passed since the birth of Anders’ and Fenris’ three children. Four years, and several more of Anders’ heats had come and gone, and there hadn’t been any more happy accidents. However, one morning after a heat, Anders wakes up with a singular, consuming desire: nesting.





	

Four years had passed since the birth of Anders’ and Fenris’ three children. Four years, and several more of Anders’ heats had come and gone, and there hadn’t been any more happy accidents. Fenris, Anders had noted, had been a little disappointed, but Anders had warned him that the triplets might have just been a lucky break, a one-off. Or rather a three-off as the case was.

But a day came after one heat that had been particularly intense, when Anders (and not Fenris for a change) had noticed that something was different.

Or rather... Justice noticed.

That first morning after his heat had broken, Anders woke to the fine rays of the sun spilling into the bedroom with more brightness than it had any right to. He lay on his right side with Fenris curled behind him, face pressed into the crook of his neck where the mating mark lay, arms wrapped snugly around his middle. His mind, still clogged with the last vestiges of sleep, spun languidly as he relished the warmth and the quiet after the past few days of intense desire and sensation. The kids weren’t likely to come rushing into the room to wake them because they were at Hawke’s with Marian, Merrill, and Isabela as was their practice whenever one of Anders’ rare heats surfaced. Therefore, Anders was enjoying being able to think of nothing at all for as long as possible.

When his thoughts began to clear, the first thing he registered was the overwhelming desire to _clean_.

Maker, he hadn’t felt such a desire since... since before the triplets were born. He frowned, unsure why he was having such a particular inclination to nest... until Justice stirred and began picking up the nature of his thoughts.

 **_Ah, I that’s what I meant to tell you once our heat was over,_ ** Justice mused. **_We’re pregnant again, Anders._ **

Anders sat bolt upright with a gasp, dislodging Fenris as he did so.

Fenris groaned, not quite fully awake as he tried to recover from the onslaught of sun rays to the face. “Ugh, what’s going on? Why is the damn sun so bright this time of morning? Nnnn. Tell the kids to back to sleep, Anders.”

Anders turned, about to apologize for waking his mate so rudely, but it appeared that Fenris had merely turned over and had gone back to sleep.

Huh. Well then.

Glancing down at his middle, Anders gave a soft sigh and a mental shrug before placing his hands there and running a diagnostic spell through his system.

For awhile he merely sat there, trying to calm his racing heart as he waited for his diagnostic spell to finish its work... and surely enough, as Justice had said, the spell registered a _very_ faint flickering of life in Anders’ belly.

Feelings of excitement that were not quite his own flooded Anders, and suddenly he’d quite forgotten all about his desire to clean.

 _You’re... you’re really excited about this, aren’t you?_ he asked Justice, who gave him the equivalent of a mental nod. **_Yes,_** Justice replied, seemingly quite sheepish over the whole affair, **_though I cannot fathom why this is so..._**

It brought a smile to his face as he slid back under the covers to curl up against his mate in the warmth of the still early morning.

 _It is natural to be excited about the birth of a child, Justice,_ Anders replied. _Can you tell me if there’s more than one...?_ _I can’t yet, even with a more extensive diagnostic spell._ There was a moment of silence, weighted with a deep concentration before he felt Justice’s reply.

 ** _No, not yet. It is still early. Perhaps in a few weeks when the heart starts to beat?_** Anders’s mind was suddenly wide awake with questions.

_That is when the heart starts to beat...?_

**_Yes._ **

_What... else can you tell me?_

**_Sleep for a while longer, Anders. Perhaps I shall tell you when you wake._ **

Anders chuffed, and Fenris stirred but did not wake. _That’s the first time you’ve ever told me to go BACK to sleep, Justice..._ Anders pointed out teasingly. Justice gave a deep mental sigh.

 **_I... have learned the benefit of sleeping in since the triplets passed their third year of life,_ ** the spirit answered him with a slightly irritated grumble. Anders could have almost laughed... but he fell back to sleep moments later, the desire to clean having faded for the time being.

* * *

 

It felt strange, knowing that he was pregnant even before Fenris did, but Anders reveled in it for as long as he could. After all, he wanted to see the look on his mate’s face when he discovered Anders’ condition on his own (and the following reaction when he learned how long Anders had known before he did), though it was sometimes difficult to hide his nesting from his mate. Fenris, however, seemed to chalk it up to residual post-heat compulsions and didn’t bother to bring it up.

Justice grumbled about deceiving their mate until Anders explained to him that it was more like a game of strategic teasing than deception, and that actually seemed to amuse the spirit when he thought about it.

But of course, eventually Fenris noticed.

“You’ve been keeping a secret from me, Anders,” Fenris said to him about six weeks later one night after they’d put the children to bed. Anders paused to listen to the quality of it, ready to spill his secret in case Fenris was frustrated or annoyed with him, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case. Fenris sounded merely teasing, and therefore Anders couldn’t help but tease back.

“Oh? Why do you think that?”

Maker, did that have to come out so coquettishly?

Fenris tugged at his coat sleeve and spun him around in his grasp, raising a fine dark eyebrow as he studied Anders’ hooded eyes intently.

“You’ve been… avoiding my questions every time I ask. You’re in such high… spirits all the time. Even the children have noticed.” Anders chuckled, not missing the most certainly intended pun. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against his mate’s, a wicked grin tugging at his lips.

“Hmm. Not as far as I can tell.”

Fenris huffed, and Anders pulled away to search his expression again for signs of tension. Sometimes he went overboard with his teasing and he hoped that he hadn’t gone too far this time.

“It’s nothing serious, my love,” Anders quickly added. “I promise. Please don’t be angry?”

He worried at his lip a bit as Fenris met his gaze and sighed, shaking his head with a slight smile. “I’m not angry, Anders. Just a little frustrated that you won’t share your secret with me. Usually you’re so quick to share everything. We rarely keep secrets from each other.”

“Well, I won’t be able to keep this one from even the children for much longer,” Anders told him with a sly smile and one raised eyebrow.

And that was when he saw the inkling of understanding in Fenris’ eyes. He immediately moved to scent Anders’ neck, his hands reaching through Anders’ coat to press against his belly and finding the slight firmness there.

“You’re–no… you’re really pregnant again?”

Anders couldn’t stop the bit of laughter that bubbled up from his throat as he pulled his mate onto the bed and gathered the elf in his arms. “Yes, my love. I’m pregnant again! I just… I wanted to see your face when you found out. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

Fenris, to his credit, hadn’t quite lost all of his composure, though he was still visibly dumbfounded and the sight caused Anders to giggle again until the alpha shot him a playful glare. “You just wanted to one-up me, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” was Anders’ retort. “You _always_ know these things before I do and I was just so excited at getting the upper hand that I couldn’t resist messing with you.” Fenris rolled his eyes. “Justice told you, didn’t he?” Anders merely grinned and Fenris sighed dramatically, turning over to straddle Anders’ thighs so that he could gently knead the slight firmness of his middle.

“I know,” Anders told him quietly when he caught sight of the wistful look on Fenris’ face, “I didn’t think I’d ever get pregnant again either, never mind with…”

Fenris nodded. “Another baby… it still feels as surreal as it did before.” He chuckled, still reverently running his hands over Anders’ belly. “I’m sure the children will be so excited to have another sibling.”

“Mmm. Justice tells me that there’s two this time.”

Fenris’ head snapped up and Anders grinned at him gleefully. “What?”

“Twins.”

Anders studied Fenris’ face, reading the fleeting shock that gave way to the twin expressions of fear and awe. “I… I see.” Anders snorted. “Hey, you’re the one who keeps knocking me up with multiples. I’ll have to start looking into having some spare contraceptive potions handy in case you don’t want any more.” He waggled his fingers teasingly and Fenris merely sighed and rested his head gently over Anders’ belly.

“You and these babies will be the death of me.”

It was all Anders could do not to burst into a fit of laughter once more.

* * *

Afterwards, they had agreed to let the children start asking questions on their own, though it didn’t take as long as they’d expected.

Anders was holding Karl’s hand while walking with him to the play area downstairs. Fenris was further on, helping Ella and Leandra down, and as Fenris turned the corner with them, Karl paused and looked up at Anders curiously, reaching up and tugging at his shirtsleeve.

“Yes, darling?” Anders asked him, looking down at Karl with a smile. “Did you want to say something?”

Karl nodded, his slightly pointed ears twitching a little.

“I… I wanted to ask… to ask if you had a kitty in your belly,” he said innocently, and Anders stopped dead in his tracks on the stairs. He looked down sharply at Karl, who was still clinging to him and staring up at Anders with wide eyes. When Anders didn’t respond for a moment, Karl continued with, “Because, because… because that’s what Auntie Merrill said happened with the mama cat out, outside when _it’s_ belly got bigger.” He glanced down in the direction of the very slight swell in Anders’ middle, and then looked back up again.

“Lee an’ Ella didn’t believe me when I told them what I thought,” Karl finished with a soft sniffle, his bottom lip quivering a little.

After a while, Anders finally cleared his throat and resumed descending the stairs. He chuckled softly, readjusting his grip on his son’s hand. “Well, Karl… you’re sort of right,” he began, and there was a slight swelling of emotion from both himself and Justice at the sight of Karl’s uplifted expression. “I don’t have a cat in my belly… but I do have a baby. _Two_ babies, in fact. You, Leandra, and Ella are going to be big sisters and a big brother soon.” This he stage whispered to Karl as Fenris popped his head around the corner.

Karl gasped and giggled with delight as Anders let him go, the boy starting off sprinting to his sisters, laughing and shouting gleefully, “Papa said I was riiight!”

Fenris blinked owlishly at the spectacle, tilting his head curiously and glancing in Anders’ direction. “What… was that about?” Anders chuffed and shot his mate a sly smirk.

“Your son is apparently too observant for his own good. He asked me if I had a “kitty” in my belly.” Fenris coughed, biting back a laugh. “He, um… he did what now?”

“I know, it amused me, too. He remembered when Lady Floof had her kittens and thought that I was having one too.” Anders bit his lip a little in a halfhearted attempt to stop a sheepish grin from making its way onto his face. “Now I don’t think he’s quite interested in, um… in _how_ the whole thing happened, so it’s safe to say that we can put off the whole “how babies are made” discussion for at least a few more months. Ella will no doubt ask that question at some point, though. She likes to know things, that one.”

Fenris made an amused huff in the back of his throat and then leaned against Anders so he could nuzzle the mage’s shoulder.

“I still can’t get over the fact that he thought you were pregnant with a kitten… though to be fair, he wasn’t far off with that one.” Anders glanced over and saw Fenris’ sly grin.

“Maker Fenris, _no_ ,” Anders laughed, “That is for the bedroom, not here.”

Fenris chuckled and leaned against him a little harder. “My humblest apologies, Anders. I couldn’t resist.” Anders shrugged, and Fenris moved away as Anders answered with, “Well, I suppose I deserve that, just a little.” Fenris was about to say more in response, but just then Leandra came running from across the room with Karl and Ella in tow and the three of them skidded to a halt around them and began tugging at their hands.

“Da,” Leandra began in a serious voice, fixing Fenris with a fierce stare, “we’d like you to come join us for tea and cakes!”

“Pretend tea and cakes,” Karl clarified, but Leandra ignored him. “Whatever. Come have some cake with us, Da? Please?” Ella walked closer over to Anders, one hand tugging gently at one of her reddish blonde braids as she glanced curiously in the direction of Anders’ middle. “Papa should come too,” she added very quietly, looking up to address him. “Karl says you’ve got _two_ babies in your belly, and Auntie Merrill says that people who have babies in their belly need more food than regular people do.”

“That’s right,” said Fenris, patting her head gently and scratching behind one ear, causing her to purr. “But your Papa needs real food to feed the babies, dear. Not… that I think he’d mind joining us, would he?”

“Of course I’ll join,” Anders replied, smiling as they all sat down together and Leandra began serving them their pretend tea and cakes. Ella sat right next to him, still staring curiously. “So… there’s really two babies in there?” She asked as she reached out to brush her hand against his stomach, and Anders nodded.

“Yup. They’re really small right now, but they’ll get bigger as they grow. They have to stay inside until they’re ready to come out.”

“And when is that?”

“A long time from now. A little over seven months or so.”

“Why so long?” This time it was Karl, who had been listening in on his sister’s questions. “I don’t know,” Anders answered him honestly. In truth, he’d never really thought about it before. “It just is. People babies just take longer to be born than kittens do.”

“But how do the babies get in?” Ella pressed insistently.

Anders and Fenris shared a look. It seemed that question wasn’t going to wait for an explanation either.

“Um,” Anders mumbled, fumbling for an answer, “Well. That, uh… that might take a bit longer to explain.” He gave Fenris a plaintive “help me!” look that had the elf grinning and shaking his head. “Oh no,” said Fenris, rich laughter rolling from his lips as he waved a finger at Anders. “This is _all_ you.” And then Anders gave him very particular “you won’t be getting any later if you don’t help” look and Fenris quickly changed his tune.

After a few false starts and fumbles, the two of them were able to explain at least in the most basic of terms, how babies were made to their three eager listeners. However, they agreed that there would certainly have to be a deeper explanation about such things like mating as the children grew closer to presenting.

“I just hope the time doesn’t go by terribly quickly,” Anders lamented, sniffling a little as a wave of sadness overtook him. Fenris, sensing his mate’s discomfort, let out a low, rumbling purr as he cuddled with Anders, watching their children play together – completely unaware of Anders’ distress.

“It is rarely the case that time actually passes quickly dear Anders; rather, it is our perception of that time passing that changes so rapidly. With a little care and a different perspective, I think we could easily enjoy the fullest extent of memories which we will make as that time passes.” Anders felt the initial wave of discomfort fade as the vibrations of Fenris’ purring, combined with a gentle flood of comfort from Justice, soothed the ache of sorrow in his heart. “Ah, thank you for the reminder my love. I had forgotten how brutal those mood swings can be.”

“Think nothing of it,” Fenris replied, after which he resumed his purring in earnest.

* * *

 

And so Anders settled into the routine of being pregnant again with a light heart, greeting most days with a smile as he busied himself with assembling a new nest for the babies. The triplets sometimes helped too, borrowing a blanket here or a pillow there from several of their friends, who were excited to hear that Anders was expecting once more and were eager to donate to his nesting efforts.

It was exhausting work some days, and oftentimes Anders would find himself curling up in the nest when he found he didn’t have the energy to go to the clinic to heal. Occasionally he would be lanced with a bit of guilt (after all, he’d gone to work in the clinic when he was pregnant with the triplets almost everyday up until the last few weeks), but Justice helpfully supplied that raising the triplets took up a lot of that excess energy and that it was better to rest than overtax his body, lest he strain himself and hurt the twins somehow.

It pleased Anders greatly to know that Justice was just as protective of these little ones as he’d been with the triplets.

 **_They deserve no less care and attention than their siblings received_ ** , explained Justice one afternoon while Anders was curled up in the nest, his belly having grown quite a bit since Karl had asked him about his pregnancy. It was getting close to the time of quickening, and Anders couldn’t wait to start feeling the little hands and feet fluttering against his skin again.

He was less enthused about the future attacks on his bladder and other similarly important things, but as always he was determined to take such things in stride.

 _Of course they deserve no less,_ Anders replied, sighing happily as a few clouds moved out of the way of the high summer sun so that it spilled through the window and warmed up the room quite nicely. _It just makes me so happy, knowing that you care. It always has._

A fleeting sensation not unlike the tingling of a full-body blush flashed across his mind and made Anders giggle just a bit at the image that conjured in his head. That was when there was a soft knock against the door to the new nursery, and the face of a young man popped his head around the door as it opened, with three smaller forms gathered behind him like a collection of ducklings.

“Mmm, good afternoon Elden,” Anders greeted him sleepily. “Is there something you needed?”

Elden opened the door wider and the triplets shuffled in, climbing onto the bed and into the nest with Anders. Elden rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as the three of them settled, and the young omega shrugged helplessly. After four years, the little Fereldan boy, now sixteen, had grown into a handsome young man who was starting to catch the eyes of a few alphas. However, few seemed to be able to work up the courage to speak to him, often tripping over themselves in their haste to figure out how their words worked.

Not that this bothered his assistant overmuch; rather, Elden seemed to enjoy the attention.

“Not really. These three just wanted to come take their nap with you and I meant to ask if that was alright, but…”

Anders laughed, feeling even more content than usual with the scents of his babies intermingling with his own and the faint traces of Fenris, who was off helping Aveline with the guard details that dealt with the slaver raids.

“No, no it’s quite alright, Elden. They’re fine where they are.” It felt better than fine actually, with the familiar heaviness of his growing middle combined with the warmth of the triplets as they snuggled up against him and on top of him, flooding Anders with as much fuzzy maternal feelings as he could handle. He never wanted to leave.

Elden’s teeth gleamed a little from the sunlight as he gave the healer a smug smile.

“Good to know. Well, I’ll leave you be, but I’ll be downstairs in your alchemy room if you need me.” Anders nodded drowsily before holding up a hand to ask, “Marina doesn’t need you at the clinic?” Elden shook his head. “You know the youngest son of the Hightown surgeon, right?”

“I do,” Anders answered idly. “Good kid. Steady hands. Has he finally gotten around to asking Marina about officially courting her?” Elden snorted. “Courting? Ha! Well, he sort of has, but nothing serious has really happened between them other than the fact that he keeps coming around when he knows that the clinic will be short staffed. I think it’s sweet.”

Anders closed his eyes and brought the triplets closer against him.

“As long as she’s alright with it. Beta courtships aren’t quite as clear-cut as our own. Sometimes they can end rather messily if things don’t work out.”

“I think she finds him adorable, but at this rate _she_ might ask to court _him_ if he waits much longer.”

A chuckle rumbled in Anders’ chest as Elden turned to exit the room. “Sounds like Marina...” Anders wanted to stay awake to enjoy the sensation of nesting with his children in his arms, but exhaustion from the day’s earlier cleaning and caring for the triplets was settling in, and so it wasn’t long before the call of the Fade overtook him, a small smile of content on his face.

* * *

 

About a week later, Anders felt the first stirrings from within, eagerly letting Justice take over to feel the soft flutters and marvel at the sensations as they’d done before. He knew that soon the flutters would grow strong enough for Fenris and the triplets to feel them, and he couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they experienced it.

He had finished making the triplets lunch in the early afternoon, and in the other room he could hear Elden having a pleasant conversation with Karl while the two girls babbled on in their own little world. Anders poked his head into the room, and called out, “Lunch!” causing the three little terrors to instantly come running with their babysitter in tow.

“The babies starting to act up a little?” Elden asked him when he noticed Anders’ rubbing at his belly as they sat down on the sofas to eat the sandwiches Anders had prepared. Anders nodded. “They’re starting to move more regularly, now.” He grinned. “Reminds me of when I first met you. You seemed so… lost. And afraid. Though, to be fair, life can be hard for male omegas sometimes, even when you’re not a mage.”

“Guess I’m lucky that way,” the boy replied, flashing a smirk and biting into his sandwich. “Not about the mage thing I mean, but… just that I’ve not really come across much of that sort of trouble. Though, I also don’t stay here in Hightown ‘cept when I’m with you, so I don’t linger here much.”

Anders nodded in affirmation.

“There is quite a bit of those older ways of thinking here, yes. Alphas earn the keep of a household while keeping their omegas pregnant and happy… and the omegas are supposed to just lie there and take it while they manage the finances, the staff, etc. Well, that’s the Hightown way of thinking about it, anyway. I suspect people in Lowtown and Darktown don’t think that way because they literally can’t afford to, even if they’re not dirt poor.”

“Right. Mother and Father are more like you and Fenris. They’re like… partners. They complete each other, you know? And they actually love each other, which is more than some of the people here can say,” Elden finally finished, gesturing to the air around them.

Anders was about to say more on the subject, but just then a sharp pressure was delivered to the edge of a lung, causing him to let out a soft, “Oof!”

Leandra, who was sitting closest to him, turned to look at him and frowned, her lips drawing into a tiny pout of concern. “Are you alright, Papa? Do you have a tummy ache?” Anders chuffed, shaking his head as he rubbed his belly with one hand and reached out to pat her head with the other.

“No, darling. The babies are just moving around a lot, is all. Do you want to see if you can feel them?”

Her eyes widened and she set down what remained of her sandwich, glancing down at the swell of his belly. Anders offered a hand to her, which she took gingerly, and he pressed her hand against the light fabric of his maternity robes where he’d last felt movement.

“Try talking to them,” he told her when nothing happened after a few moments. “They respond to sound a lot more than you guys did, so that might help a little.” Anders looked up and noticed Karl and Ella hovering on the edges of their seats, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He waved them over with his free hand.

“Come here you two, I can tell you’re dying to feel it too.”

Ella scrambled over to sit next to her sister while Karl’s walk over was more sedate as he waited patiently for Ella to settle before he moved in next to her.

“Hi babies,” Ella said brightly, “I’m Ella! Papa and Da says it’s short for Ellas, but _I_ like Ella better.”

Anders felt one or possibly both of the babies shift at the sound of her voice, and Leandra jumped a little when one of the movements brushed at the spot where Anders held her hand.

“What does it feel like, Lee?” Karl asked, moving a bit closer. Leandra’s expression was a mixture of wonder and confusion and all she seemed able to say was, “It… it feels weird.” She frowned up at Anders, still a little concerned. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“Not really. Sometimes they’ll move a wrong way and I’ll feel a little sore in places sometimes, but mostly it feels like I’m being rubbed or tickled from the inside.”

Karl inched closer and reached out to touch Anders’ belly, gently worming his fingers underneath the hand holding Leandra’s. His eyes widened like hers had when another movement brushed that spot, though while Leandra pulled away to let Ella have a turn, Karl bent to press an ear against Anders’ belly and whispered, “I’m Karl. I’m your brother and I can’t wait to meet you.”

Immediately he was rewarded with a gentle press against his cheek, resulting in a high pitched squeal of laughter that was so infectious that even Leandra’s lingering trepidation turned to excitement. And once all three had had their fill of touching, Anders directed them to finish their lunches. “Growing little boys and girls need all the food they can get to become big and strong you know,” he told them seriously.

“So we can protect the babies when we’re older?” Leandra asked pointedly.

Anders felt an eyebrow lift as the words piqued his curiosity. Even at such a young age, he knew that sometimes a child’s behavior could hint at what they could present as when puberty started, but it wasn’t always the best indicator.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Anders replied with a smile. “Now does anyone want another?”

All three hands went up in so fast that Anders had to roll his eyes. “Alright, alright. There’s more supplies in the kitchen, so why don’t we go make more together?”

There was a brief, excited exchange between the three of them as they all shared glances and whispered to each other before giggling to themselves and scampering off. Elden sighed contentedly as he watched them run in the direction of the kitchen, his eyes full of longing.

“Is it so terrible to wish they were mine?” he asked, and Anders huffed dismissively.

“Not always. A good portion of omegas have honest desires to bring children into the world, but you’re still young and even when or if you decide to take a mate, neither of you might desire children for a while, or indeed at all. In fact, for some couples, it is probably best that they put off having children and just enjoy being mated to establish that partnership that a good bonding is meant to be. But, we should continue this conversation in the kitchen before one of the triplets tries to use a knife to cut the salted ham, yes?”

Elden stood up quickly, half panicked, and Anders had to laugh at the boy’s reaction.

“Slow down! The knives are in a lockbox in one of the cabinets. They couldn’t get to them even if they tried.” He reached out to Elden with one hand, beckoning him closer with his fingers. “Now, a little help please?”

The young omega rolled his eyes and helped Anders to stand, the two of them walking off in the direction of the kitchen to join the triplets.

“Marina is right,” he remarked, an amused quirk to his lips. “You really _are_ a mother hen when you’re like this.” Anders snorted. “Don’t listen to Marina. She’s a headstrong young woman who doesn’t like to be babied much and she only puts up with me because she likes me.”

“I still think she’s right.”

“Oh hush. Now, be a dear and fetch those knives, in that upper cabinet there, yes. Thank you.”

Elden just shook his head at the healer, a smile on his lips. Anders smiled back, knowing that some part of him was indeed being the mother hen that Marina so often accused him to be. But it was difficult to be offended when he was helping to raise three beautiful children and had two more on the way. He could afford to be fussy every now and then, especially when a part of him considered his assistants to be just as deserving of his concern.

They were his babies too, in a way. Not that he would ever tell them that.

* * *

 

But of course, all good things had to come to an end.

Several months later Anders would go into labor in the middle of the day, shortly after indulging in a few moments’ passion with his mate. Fenris, who had still been knotted to him when the contractions began, had panicked a little, but Anders had laughed while wincing through a contraction and told him that they weren’t likely in a hurry to be born.

Fenris thought otherwise, and sure enough it would only be a little past midnight when Sebastian and Elden had helped Anders safely deliver their newest additions to the family, a pair of squalling baby boys that were named Leto and Justin. Leto was named so for the reason that Fenris felt the name deserved to be given new life since it no longer belonged to him, and Justin… that one was obvious to everyone except for his namesake, at least until Anders told the spirit his reasons and felt the waves of love and gratitude flood him. Happy tears that were not quite his own ran down his cheeks as he held his sons and introduced the triplets to their new siblings.

Anders and Fenris shared a glance as they watched their three eldest carefully hover next to the bed, and Anders knew that Fenris had to be thinking the same thing. It was true that their little family hadn’t been planned, but he doubted–at least for them–that it could have happened any other way.

Like their partnership, their children had been some of the happiest accidents of their lives, and they looked forward to seeing what other accidents lay in store.

Just… perhaps no more children. At least for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> And so concludes my current list of planned fics in this 'verse. I do have a desire to tell the story of their meeting, bonding, and mating, but right now I'm having an itch to write some shameless smut for my buddies in the DA Weird Shit Discord after all this fluff, good lord. There's so much fluff! XD
> 
> I also kind of have a bunch of ideas about the original characters that developed along this fascinating journey, which includes both of Anders' assistants and his children, particularly in regards to potentially addressing the more squicky aspects of the A/B/O 'verse in general as well as maybe some future worldbuilding in regards to what happens when some of Anders' and Fenris' children start showing signs of magic and thereafter.
> 
> But for now, I leave you with this. However, if you're really interested in reading more, I'm always open to taking prompts on [my tumblr](http://timesorceror.tumblr.com/), so please, send me things. Kinky, fluffy, whatever. I don't bite... much. ;D


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